Giant replica of moon unveiled in Kolkata

Kolkata: The moon has descended on the lawns of Victoria Memorial at the northern gate of the iconic structure. This was a delight to the Kolkatans who were seen thronging to view the spectacle.

A touring artwork, created in partnership with the UK Space Agency, the 3-D installation of the moon has been made using imagery from NASA's Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter Camera, one of the exhibition organizers said.

The 'Museum of the Moon' is a project of the British Council, supported by the Ministry of Culture. It has been put on display at the Victoria Memorial Hall in the city for the weekend visitors, Debanjan Chakrabarti, the director of British Council East, told PTI.

The 23-feet-wide replica of the moon is half a million times smaller than the real moon. It has been put together by British artist Luke Jerram, Chakraborty said.

"This is an important project for British Council, it merges science with art," he said.

The artwork will foster interest about astronomy among the youngsters, the director of MP Birla Planetarium said.

"It is also interesting that the 'Museum of the Moon' project came to Kolkata 17 days after the total lunar eclipse," Duari added.

The 'Museum of the Moon' project has earlier toured Bengaluru, Mumbai and Udaipur.